Colour My World
by DontDeny
Summary: Victor is visiting the Enchanted Forest and who should he bump into but Ruby. Can she convince him to stay a while? What will happen if he does?
1. The Meeting

_*the timeline is different from the actual show*_

"You're not from around here are you?"  
The voice came from behind, startling him slightly, but he quickly composed himself.  
"No, my Land is very different from here." He replied. He got up off the bench he was sitting on to face the mysterious voice. To his surprise, a beautiful woman stood before him. He had never had time for women in his Land, but he might make an exception for this one.  
She walked closer to him and held out her hand. "Hi, I'm Ruby."  
He took her hand and shook it. "And I'm Victor."  
"So if you're not from the Enchanted Forest, what exactly are you doing here?" She asked.  
"I was supposed to be making a deal with the King, but I wasn't interested. I stayed a while longer because this Land is intriguing to me."  
"Really? You like it here?" The disappointment in her voice was obvious  
He looked confused. "You don't?"  
She sighed. "It's not that I don't, but I've spent my whole life here, Victor. And I've spent a lot of that time hiding who I really am. I just want to get out and see other Lands."  
"You definitely wouldn't enjoy my Land, if that's what you're thinking. It's a Land Without Colour. Literally. Everything is black and white. That's why this Land intrigues me so much; all these colours I've never seen before." He absentmindedly stroked the sleeve of her coat as she blushed. "Like this coat. What colour do you call this?"  
She giggled. "It's red and it's my favourite colour."  
"Yes, I can see why." He replied. "It looks very good on you." This caused her cheeks to redden yet again.  
Victor was enjoying this conversation with Rub; he had no one back home who he could talk to. The closest thing he had to a friend was his brother and he was almost certain that he could not be saved. He didn't want to go back to his Land as there was nothing for him to go back for. But he also could not stay here in the Enchanted Forest. No one knew him; he didn't belong here.  
He sighed loudly. "Ruby, I should go and find Jefferson."  
"Leaving so soon?" She questioned, sounding genuinely quite sad.  
"Do you want me to?"  
"No." She answered honestly. "I like talking to you. And come on, you've hardly seen any of my Land! Surely you can stay a little while longer?"  
"Well, I suppose it's not hurting anyone if I do!"  
Ruby grinned at him and he couldn't help but smile back.  
"Come on then!" She said, taking him by the wrist and dragging him off to show him her favourite spots.  
She showed him all around the Enchanted Forest. The places where she liked to eat, places she liked to think, places she liked to hide away from her grandmother and occasionally pointed out the colours, making sure that Victor knew them. She spent the day showing him around and for the whole time, Victor was conscious of how close they were to each other. They seemed at ease in conversation together and even on the rare occasion when there was a silence, it didn't feel awkward at all. He would miss this when he left; it felt nice to have someone to talk to after all his time alone. He wondered if Ruby didn't have any friends either, but figured she must do. He didn't quite understand why she was wasting her time with him.  
She stopped abruptly, almost making him slam into her. She looked up at him and smiled.  
"This is a place I don't show to many, Victor, it's my favourite place to come to." She lifted back the branches of the trees and headed through. She took his hand to guide him in.  
"Wow." He said in awe. "It's beautiful." There behind the trees was a magnificent lake surrounded by flowers.  
"I know, I like to just come here and look." She sighed happily. This was the only part of the Enchanted Forest she would miss if she ever got to leave.  
At the same time, both of them looked down at their hands and realised they were still holding them together. They both blushed, but neither of them let go.  
"Victor, I don't want you to leave." Ruby admitted. "I've had such a happy day today."  
"As have I, Ruby. It's been lovely to have someone to talk to again. But I don't belong here."  
"But you could. You could stay with me. I'd introduce you to everyone, then you'd belong."  
"I don't think your grandmother would like that."  
"Maybe not at first, but she'd get used to it."  
"Ruby." Victor sighed. He felt like he was disappointing her and he didn't want that. "Back in my Land, I'm known as a monster, you shouldn't want to be friends with someone like me."  
"But isn't that the point? You're known as a monster there, then you could have a new start here."  
"Ruby..." He started.  
"No, Victor, I'm a werewolf for crying out loud!" She stopped herself. Victor raised his eyebrows in slight surprise, but that revelation actually explained a lot. Ruby looked and saw that he wasn't even remotely horrified, so carried on talking. "Yes, I'm a monster here. That's why I want you to stay. Not many people understand me. Heck, a lot of people just want to kill me."  
"I wish I could. Today was the best day I've had in such a long time because of you."  
"But?" She asked.  
"But I can't stay here." He stated simply.  
"We could ask Count Von Stilskin!" She exclaimed. "His castle isn't too far from here." She started to walk off. He ran in front of her, put his hands on her shoulders to stop her and looked her straight in the eye.  
"Ruby, I can't stay here." He repeated his earlier statement.  
"Then I'll never see you again."  
"Of course you will! I'll come and visit whenever I can. I'll make arrangements with Jefferson."  
She was shaking her head as he spoke. "No, Victor, you don't understand." He looked confused. "There's an Evil Queen in this Land, she goes by the name Regina. She's bringing a curse upon here and soon this Land will be gone and we'll be transported somewhere horrible. If you go back to your Land, you'll never be able to return here and the curse might not hit you. Then I'll have no one to talk to like we did today." She seemed genuinely upset. Despite only having known each other a day, the way that they had spoke made it feel as though they had been friends for years.  
He looked at her sympathetically and she carried on the story. "My best friend, my only friend really, Snow White, she's pregnant. The baby will be the key to breaking the curse eventually. The baby is due in two weeks and that's when we think the curse will hit. Couldn't you stay here? Just for two weeks?" She asked, giving him the puppy dog eyes.  
It weakened him. "Fine." Victor finally agreed. "Let's go to Count Von Stilskin then."  
Ruby grinned happily at him and took hand, leading the way to Count Von Stilskin's grand castle.


	2. The Count

*for the sake of this story, Rumple is a little nicer, Belle is still at his castle and Jefferson isn't in Wonderland*

As Ruby had said, the walk to Count Von Stilskin's castle was not a long one. However, it was still long enough for Victor to worry the whole way there. Ruby noticed the whole way there.  
"Don't worry, Victor." She said. "This man can do just about anything, I'm sure he'll let you stay a little longer."  
He didn't miss the 'almost' in her sentence, but he let it slide. He wasn't sure if he was doing the right thing by staying in the Enchanted Forest. On one hand, it meant spending more time with Ruby and actually having a friend. On the other hand, it made him a little nervous to be away from his work for so long. But then what use was his work if it kept going wrong? He sighed quietly to himself; he may as well see what the Count had to say.  
As they rounded the corner, the castle came into sight. It was huge, dark and looked a little bit frightening. But Ruby carried on towards it, not looking the least nervous, so Victor followed.  
They reached the door in no time and the huge brass door knockers looked intimidating. They both stared at the door for a moment, until Ruby reached up and knocked. There was a rushing noise and footsteps coming towards the door. There was a brief moment of silence, then the door swung open dramatically. Standing behind the door was not, as Victor expected the Count, but instead a pretty girl in a blue dress.  
"Ruby!" The girl exclaimed.  
"Belle!" Ruby greeted back and stepped inside the doors to give her a hug. Well, Victor thought to himself, at least that explains why Ruby has been to the castle before.  
"Belle, this is my new friend Victor." Ruby was saying. Victor snapped out of his thoughts at the mention of his name. "He's here to see the Count."  
"Right this way then." The girl named Belle smiled at them, leading them up a staircase.  
She lead them across a long corridor and into a large room with many different items, most notably the spinning wheel in the corner.  
"The Count will be here soon." She said as she closed the door and headed towards a cupboard to make some tea.  
"Hello dearies." The voice from behind them startled both Victor and Ruby as they turned around to face it. There stood the Count, laughing at their shock.  
"Thank you for bringing them to me, dear Belle." He said as she gave him his cup of tea. She nodded and when Ruby gave her a meaningful glance, she blushed. She left the room, closing the door behind her, leaving Victor and Ruby alone with the Count.  
"So, what is it that you want?" He asked.  
"Can he stay for two weeks?" Ruby blurted out.  
"Two weeks? Just before the curse hits?" He said, Ruby nodded.  
The Count glanced at Victor. "Is that what you want?"  
Victor hesitated for a moment. He looked at Ruby, who was giving him pleading eyes. She was the the first person who seemed to care about him since his brother. "Yes." He said. "I want to stay." Ruby grinned at him and he smiled back at her.  
"I don't see why not." Said the Count. "As long as you do something for me."  
"Whatever could you want from me?" Victor questioned, looking confused.  
"I need something from your Land."  
"Couldn't you get it yourself?" This came from an annoyed sounding Ruby.  
"I could if I knew what I was looking for." He admitted.  
Victor sighed. "I'll get you what you want as long as I come straight to this Land and stay here for two weeks."  
"Deal." The Count agreed. He then magicked a pen and paper, wrote down what he wanted and handed it to Victor. "Get Jefferson to take you there and back. He can bring the items to me, I just need you to get them." Victor looked at the paper and nodded.  
"You can leave now." The Count looked at both of them, dismissing them with a wave of his hand.  
They shrugged at each other and left the room. Belle was waiting just outside and said goodbye to them. Both girls gave each other a look that Victor didn't quite understand.  
Once they were outside the castle, Ruby grinned at him again.  
"See, I told you he'd let you stay!"  
"Yes, yes, you were right." Victor replied, rolling his eyes at her jokingly. "Now we have to find Jefferson."  
"Easy enough, he's almost always at his cottage." For someone who claimed she had no friends, seemed to know a lot about people. Victor shook out of his thoughts when he saw the look of concern on her face. "Victor, what exactly does the Count want from your Land?"  
"Just some potions that this Land isn't capable of. You may have magic, but you don't have science." He couldn't help but sound a little smug despite himself.  
"So we'll see Jefferson, go to your Land and come straight back."  
"We?" Victor asked.  
Ruby looked at him. "Well you don't just expect me to wait here, do you? I'm coming with you!"  
"I'm really not sure that's a good idea."  
"But I've never been to another Land before!" She protested.  
He sighed. "Fine. You can come."  
She grinned and he smiled weakly. It was starting to be a long day.


	3. Through The Hat

*For the sake of this story, Victor and Jefferson haven't met, so Regina turned evil some other way. And sorry this took a while, I've been feeling crappy. But enjoy!*

The walk to Jefferson's took a while as it was in the middle of the forest. Along the way, Ruby explained that ever since Jefferson had been widowed, leaving just him an d his daughter, Granny had liked her to take a basket of food to them every few weeks. Ruby talked a lot and said that she was closer to Grace, Jefferson's daughter, than she was to Jefferson himself. This Jefferson character was sounding like a bit of an enigma to Victor and he was quite unsure of what to expect of him.  
By the time they reached the cottage, it was starting to get dark out. The cottage was one of the many out in the forest. The only thing that made it stand out from the rest was that it was surrounded by mushrooms. Ruby didn't hesitate knocking the door, clearly Jefferson was less scary than the Count.  
A young girl dressed in her pyjamas opened the door. "Ruby?" She asked. "We have enough food."  
"I'm sure you do, Grace, but I'm actually here to see your father."  
"Oh." Grace had a fleeting look of disappointment, but went inside to get Jefferson. He arrived in an instant.  
"Ruby!" He exclaimed with a big grin. Victor felt an irrational pang of jealousy, but quickly shook it off.  
"What can I do for you?" He asked.  
"We need a favour."  
Jefferson looked over to Victor as if he had only just noticed he was there. "Ah, you brought a friend, how nice." His voice was dripping with sarcasm and Victor could barely hide his smirk.  
"We need your hat." Ruby stated. Jefferson started to protest, but she interrupted. "It's for started the Count. He needs some things from Victor's Land."  
"Fine, but it can't take long, I don't like leaving Grace with the neighbours for long."  
"Deal." She agreed.  
Jefferson went into his cottage and came back with a large box.  
"We'll take this out to the woods, go to this Land and come straight back."  
Ruby and Victor both nodded and followed Jefferson into the woods.  
Neither Ruby or the Count had explained exactly how they would get to his Land. He had gotten to the Enchanted Forest via a mirror portal that the King used, but he figured this would be a little different.  
The three of them stopped after a little while and Jefferson placed his box on the ground. He opened if and pulled out an old looking hat.  
"Three go through the hat, three come out the hat. Hats rules, not mine." Jefferson explained, sounding bored. He threw the hat on the ground, spinning it as he did. He put his arm in front of Ruby and Victor. "Step back." He said and all three of them did so.  
The hat span as if it was out of control and a large purple looking hole was created. Throughout this, Ruby grabbed onto Victor's arm and he was preoccupied by that than the swirling vortex of terror.  
"On the count of three, jump into the hat." Jefferson shouted to be heard over the hat. He counted to three and all of them jumped for what seems like ages. The feeling that they were falling was a strange one, but they landed soon enough, into a room full of doors.  
Victor stared at the doors. "These are all other Lands?" He questioned.  
"Yes." Jefferson walked up to a grey door. "And this one is yours."  
He opened the door and went straight through. Victor looked at Ruby and shrugged.  
"Come on then, let's go see your world." She said, taking him by the hand, leading him through.  
Even though she had been wearing her infamous red as soon as she stepped into Victor's Land, her clothes turned to grey. She looked down at herself. "Huh. You weren't kidding about the no colour thing." She remarked. Victor just raised his eyebrows in response.  
Jefferson wasn't far in front of them, also all in grey now.  
"Which way to your house?" He asked Victor.  
Victor pointed at the large house not too far ahead. "That way."  
They reached his home in no time. Ruby gasped at the sight of it.  
"Victor, you never said you were rich." She teased.  
"My father was a proud man." Was all he could reply.  
Being at this house brought back painful reminders of his past. He didn't want to stay here long and by the looks of it, neither did Ruby or Jefferson.  
"Let's get on with it then. I have a daughter to get home to." Jefferson said, confirming Victor's thoughts.  
He pushed past him to the door and led the two of them through. He headed to the, for lack of a better word, laboratory to collect what it was the Count needed. When they got there, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Ruby looking concerned.  
"Victor, what exactly do you do?"  
He sighed in response. "This Land is a magical Land, that's why we could get here in the hat. But magic in this Land is different from yours. We have to rely more on science. And that's what I do." He absentmindedly walked over to a table and placed his hand on it. "My brother, he was my best friend. So when he died, I tried to bring him back and all I ended up doing was creating a monster."  
Ruby startled him by throwing her arms around him. "Oh Victor, I'm so sorry."  
He awkwardly patted her back in response as he was too surprised to say anything. After hearing hearing this she still accepted him as her friend. But then, she was considered a monster too. Maybe he shouldn't be so surprised.  
A cough startled them both, making them jump and causing Ruby to let go of him. "Can we get on with this?" Jefferson asked.  
Victor nodded and gathered all the potions off the list and put them into a bag.  
"That's everything." He said.  
"Let's go then." Jefferson replied.  
Victor said goodbye to his house. He wasn't sure he wanted to go back there after today.  
The trip back through the hat was much less exciting and they were back to there normal colourful selves in the Enchanted Forest in no time.  
"It's getting late, Grace will want to be going to bed. I will get the potions to the Count first thing in the morning." Victor handed him the bag and he went on his way, leaving Victor and Ruby alone.  
"I think I prefer my Land to yours." Ruby stated.  
"I think I do too." Victor admitted.  
She looked up at the dark sky. "Jefferson was right, it is getting late. Granny will be in bed, but she won't mind you staying. In separate rooms of course." She said, causing them both to blush.  
She took his hand and guided him towards her home. It was going to be an interesting two weeks.


	4. Meeting Snow

*sorry this took forever to upload! Shoutout to the Frankenwolf Ohana!*

The next two weeks were indeed interesting; Victor had never experienced anything like it. Having someone other than his mother or Gerhardt care about him was a strange feeling, especially after they had been gone so long. But with Ruby, it was different. They had only known each other for a day, but it seemed like so much longer.  
They arrived at her house late at night so Ruby didn't get a chance to show him around. She took him to the spare room, said goodnight and went to her own bed. It took Victor a while to sleep though. He just kept thinking if how strange it was to be in this Land for something other than his work. He found that he liked it here and once his two weeks were up, he wasn't sure that he would want to leave. Eventually he drifted off to sleep and had a dreamless night.  
A sound, a rustling noise, woke him up in the morning. He was dazed, so when he opened his eyes fully, he nearly jumped out of his skin. There at the end of the bed, staring him down, pointing a crossbow in his face, was an old woman he could only assume was Ruby's Granny. He had taken his shirt off in the night, so he automatically pulled the quilt around his neck and looked nervously at Granny.  
She spoke first. "What are you doing in my house?"  
"Well, erm, I erm.." Victor spluttered.  
Footsteps running to the room interrupted him and Ruby burst through the door.  
"Granny, what are you doing?!"  
The old woman looked at her granddaughter. "Here is a strange man in my house, what do you think I'm doing?"  
"Ugh. Granny, this is my friend, Victor, he's staying here for two weeks." She explained.  
"How do you do?" Victor asked politely.  
Granny ignored him. "And who said you could do that, young lady?"  
Ruby sighed. "I'm an adult now, Granny, I think I should be allowed my friends over. And before you ask, he knows about the wolf thing."  
"Huh." Granny eyed Victor up. "Well okay, but don't think I'm not keeping my eye on you." And with that, she slung her crossbow over her shoulder and left the room.  
Ruby rushed over to Victor's side. "I'm so sorry! I was going to ease her into it, but I guess I overslept."  
"Ruby, it's fine, don't worry about it." He stretched out as he gave off a yawn and noticed Ruby checking out his bare chest. She caught his eye and blushed.  
"Erm, I guess I should, erm, let you get dressed." She said nervously, blushing again.  
"I don't mind if you stay." He teased.  
"No, it's okay, I should get breakfast ready." She replied and practically ran out of the room.  
Victor sighed. So she didn't want him, he could deal with that since they were friends. He just couldn't help feeling a little rejected. But Ruby was so beautiful, she could do a lot better than him.  
He noticed a pile of clothes in the corner and realised that at least he didn't have to wear the same clothes everyday for the next two weeks. It was just a plain navy top and some jeans, but he felt more comfortable in those than in anything from his Land.  
He wandered around the house until he came across the kitchen. Ruby was in there with an apron on, cooking eggs. Victor couldn't help but smile at the sight.  
"Hey." He said.  
Ruby jumped and almost dropped the eggs out of the pan, but managed to recover.  
"Victor, you scared me!"  
"Sorry. Do you need any help?"  
"No, it's fine, I'm almost done. Take a seat."  
Victor did as she said and not too long passed before she set a plate down in front of him. Bacon, sausages and eggs! He wasn't normally a breakfast person, but he could get used to this! Forever the gentlemen though, he waited until Ruby set her own plate down opposite him before he began to eat. They both finished quickly as though they hadn't eaten in days.  
As Ruby washed the plates up, he dried them. He couldn't help but think that it seems like such a couple thing to do. He immediately shook that thought off as Ruby began speaking.  
"I'd like to see Snow today, I haven't seen her in a while." She began washing the same plate over and over again. "I know David looks after her, but she's heavily pregnant now and I worry about her."  
She still continued to wash that same plate, so Victor slowly took it out of her hands. She looked startled as though she had been talking to herself.  
"You know, I am a doctor, sort of, I can give her a check up. If you want."  
"Oh Victor, you'd do that for me?"  
"Of course, we're friends aren't we?"  
"Yes, friends." He didn't want to be too hopeful unthinking that she sounded dejected.  
Around lunch time, the two of them headed to Snow and David's castle. Ruby bringing a basket of food with her.  
When they arrived, Ruby rushed straight to Snow's side, shoving the basket at David. Snow was indeed heavily pregnant, so she was on bed rest. As she and Ruby chatted away, Victor got an uncomfortable eye up from David.  
"Would it be okay if Victor gave you a check up?" Ruby asked Snow later on. "He's a doctor, you know." Was that a sense of pride in her voice? Again, Victor didn't want to get his hopes up.  
"I'm really not sure that's necessary." David replied. He still seemed wary of Victor, despite having pleasant enough conversation.  
Ruby just gave David a look. Snow trusted Victor because Ruby did and saw no objection.  
He gave Snow a quick check up. "Everything seems to be fine and baby is doing okay. Just keep resting and everything will go to plan." Snow smiled at him.  
Ruby looked at the time and gasped. "We have to go! Granny will be mad if we're late for dinner!" She hugged David and Snow and waited for Victor outside.  
Victor shook David's hand but wasn't sure what to do with Snow. She made the decision for him and pulled him in for a hug. As she did so, she whispered into his ear. "Go make her happy, Victor, she needs it."  
And he promised her that he would try his best to do just that.


	5. Happiness

*okay bear with me, I know this chapter is kinda terrible and took forever but I swear it does get better.

Minor sex references in this chapter, just so you know.

Disclaimer: views expressed by certain characters are not necessarily the views of me. And if you think that they are going 'too fast' then just think about the True Love and they're in Enchanted Forest so things are different there..*

They practically ran back to the cottage, once Victor had caught up with Ruby, to make sure that they weren't late for dinner.

When they arrived, Granny had already finished making dinner, but she was now sitting in her comfy chair, knitting the baby blanket for Snow. Victor saw a completely different side to her than he had done before; she looked so happy. And, luckily, she didn't even seem to mind that they were a little late. Probably because they had been to Snow's. It seemed that if Snow thought Victor was okay then so did everyone else and that was fine by him.

In fact, Granny was so content with knitting that she let Victor and Ruby eat dinner alone together. She had made her legendary lasagne an it was indeed pretty perfect. The two of them chatted as they ate.

"Thank you for today." Ruby said.

"You're welcome. Snow is a great lady."

Ruby eyed him suspiciously. "She said something to you, didn't she?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Victor replied.

Ruby narrowed her eyes jokingly and grinned at him. Without thinking, she leaned across the table and put her hand on his. They both blushed and Ruby went to take her hand away but Victor held on. He put his other hand on her cheek and she leaned into him.

"Thank you." She said again.

Victor looked confused. "For what?"

"For staying here."

He smiled at her. "You're welcome."

They stayed that way for a while until they thought they heard Granny coming towards them and when they realised it wasn't her, they dissolved into giggles.

At this point, Victor felt so happy. The happiest he had felt in a long time. Having Ruby in his life, even for such a short time (though it felt longer) had changed him. He wasn't sure he'd ever want to go back to his Land now. The thought of going back scared him so much that he chose not to think about it. Instead he concentrated on the fact that he still had many days left in this Land and with Ruby.

After they had finished eating, they rejoined Granny in the living room. She had given up knitting for the evening, but was sat in front of the fire. Ruby and Victor sat on the double seat facing Granny. As there wasn't much entertainment in the house, Granny decided to tell some stories. During these stories, she tried to catch Victor's eye, but he was so immersed in the stories, he didn't notice.

She was in the middle of a story and interrupted herself with a suspiciously fake yawn. "Well, I'm tired, I must be going to bed."

She kissed Ruby on the cheek and leaned into Victor, whispering into his ear. "For God's sake, kiss her, you idiot!" And with that, she went off to bed.

Ruby looked at him with her beautiful eyes and he knew that he should listen to Granny. He put both of his hands on her face and she closed her eyes. He leaned in nervously and placed his lips onto hers. Instead of pulling away, Ruby deepened the kiss, putting her arms around him. Eventually they both pulled away.

After a moment of silence, Ruby was the first to speak. "Wow." Was what she said.

"I was just thinking the same thing."

"That was something."

Victor smiled at her. "I've been wanting to do that since we met."

Ruby giggled. "What, a whole two days ago?!" She teased.

"It feels like it's been longer!"

"Yeah it does." Ruby replied. "So, what convinced you to kiss me today?"

"Well, Granny and Snow helped play a part."

"I knew it! They are so trying to get me a man!"

"I'd very much like to be that for you." Victor said honestly.

"Oh Victor, I'd like that too, but you have to leave soon."

"Let's not think about that. Let's just think of the time we have together. Okay?"

She nodded. "Okay."

He kissed her softly. "Good. Now, you need to get some sleep, you look as though you're about to drop off!"

She agreed and he walked her to her room.

"Goodnight Victor." She pulled him in for a hug and stayed in his arms for a while.

"Goodnight my Ruby." He placed one last kiss on her lips and headed off to his bed where he knew he would at least have happy dreams.

The next morning, it was Ruby who woke up to the smell of cooking. She wondered into the kitchen to find Victor making pancakes.

"Victor, you're making breakfast!" Was how she greeted him.

He put the last pancake on the plate. "Is that okay?"

She laughed. "Of course it is!"

He placed the pancakes on the table and gave her a quick kiss. "Well, eat up then." And she did.

A week passed in no time at all and they spent all their time together. They had picnics, Victor drew pictures for her, Ruby usually made the food for them. They visited Snow and checked up on Jefferson. (Victor couldn't help but feel smug when Jefferson looked jealous of his and Ruby's hands intertwined.) They even managed to get Belle out of the castle for some tea.

The two of them were so sickeningly happy, that on the seventh day, when they were having a fake argument about pancakes, Granny could take it no longer.

She slammed her hands on the table, startling the both of them. "You're like a married couple already, just act like one."

"Granny, what are you saying?" Ruby questioned.

"Look, I'll go out of the house if it makes it easier, just share a bed for crying out loud." She grabbed her bow and left them alone.

The two of them were quiet for a moment.

"Is that what you want?" Victor asked.

"Yes." She replied. "Don't you?"

"Of course I do!" He frowned. "It's just been a while."

Ruby grinned at him. "Well, I'll be happy to teach you!" She dragged him to the bedroom and let's just say, it was indeed lucky that Granny had left the house.

Granny did not return for four days and in those four days, they never left the bedroom (except to go to the bathroom and for food.) Both of them were somewhat experienced, but sex had never been like this for either of them. They fit one another perfectly and knew exactly what the other one wanted. Even when Granny returned, they continued to share the bed. Just sleeping, in the literal sense, with each other was enough

The night before Victor was supposed to leave, they were snuggled up in bed, he was playing with her hair.

"I don't want you to leave." She said.

"And I don't want to go."

"Can't you stay?"

"You know I want to. I would if I could."

She kissed him. "You're the best thing to happen to me."

"And you, me."

That night, it was hard for both of them to sleep.

"Victor! Victor! Wake up, we have to go!"

"I don't want to go." He was still half asleep and didn't know what was going on.

"Honey, it's urgent."

He could tell from her tone it was serious, so he woke himself up and got dressed as quick as he could. He went into the living room, where both Granny and Ruby looked worried. Granny was holding a piece of paper.

"What's going on?" He asked.

Granny held up the note. "The baby is coming. And so is the curse."


	6. The Curse

*not exactly a chapter since it's so short but since Chapter Five took so long, I thought I'd treat you guys to this sort-of-a-chapter chapter. Also, I put the last two bits on italic and bold because I don't know how else to separate them*

Victor just stared at them for a moment in disbelief. "The curse is today?"

Ruby sighed. "Apparently so. The dwarves miscalculated the days."

"They probably left Dopey in charge." Granny muttered.

"So... I should go get Jefferson?" He questioned.

Ruby looked at him. "Are you crazy?! I'm sorry, but there's no time for that. We need to get to Snow, we need to get the baby to the wardrobe before the curse hits."

Victor turned pale. "You want me to deliver the baby?"

"Well, it's either you or Doc and I'm not sure if we should trust a guy who got his medical degree from an axe." Granny replied.

"And Victor, you'll be part of the curse, I'll get to see you again."

"But the curse won't be broken for years! I won't remember you."

"What's 28 years? Victor, please, this whole Land needs that baby in that wardrobe or we're doomed."

He pulled himself together. "Okay, I'll do it"

The three of them ran to the castle as quickly as they could. Charming was by Snow's side, having his hand squeezed by her as she screamed.

"Finally!" Charming exclaimed. "We need this baby out!"

Victor nodded once and checked Snow. "Okay, Snow, you're doing really great. The baby will be here soon. All I need you to do for me is push, okay?"

Snow didn't answer him but she pushed as hard as she could, squeezing Charming's hand with all her might.

The four of them, Victor, Ruby, Charming and Granny, all encouraged her to push until finally the baby was out.

Granny put the blanket round the baby and handed her to Snow and Charming.

"Emma." Snow whispered to the baby, kissing her forehead. "Charming, we have to.. get her to the wardrobe."

The three of them shared a moment so tender that Victor felt as though he was intruding just by being in the room. Charming took baby Emma and headed to the wardrobe. Snow waited until he was out the room before she burst into tears. Ruby and Granny immediately rushed to her side but Victor stayed back.

Snow looked at him. "Thank you... for your help."

He nodded at her. "Are you strong enough to go to him?"

"I think so."

"I will help you." He offered.

She shook her head. "This is something I must do alone."

He nodded again. "Good luck, Snow, I'll see you in 28 years."

She smiled in spite of herself and kissed his cheek. She embraced Ruby and Granny, then went to go to get husband.

The curse was coming, they could feel it. Parts of the castle had already been torn apart. Victor held onto Ruby, hugging her with all his might. She kissed him. "I'll see you on the other side." She joked. And with that, the three of them were gone.

_Victor sprang out of bed at the sound of his alarm. He looked around the room, momentarily confused. He checked the time. "Oh crap, I'm going to be late." He muttered to himself. He got dressed and picked up his Doctors coat, heading to the hospital. Completely oblivious to any of his previous life._

** "When I put over easy on the menu, I was talking about the eggs."**

**"Ugh!" Ruby rolled her eyes at Granny and headed into the diner. What she was wearing wasn't that bad. And besides, she only agreed to work at the stupid diner so that she could get enough money to go Boston. She figured at least there she might actually find a man, unaware that her True Love was merely minutes away from her.**


	7. Things Are Changing

The next 28 years went by so strangely. Living each day almost exactly the same without even knowing about it was no way to live. And apparently, the curse had a sense of humour too; no matter how many times Victor walked passed Granny's, he never once went inside. It was as if something was keeping him from going inside and meeting Ruby. That is until a certain Emma Swan came to town.

On the day that Emma decided to stay in Storybrooke and the clock finally moved, things started to change. And one of those things, was Victor sleeping through his alarm. He normally arrived to work just on time, but on this day, things were different. He woke up a whole hour late and rushed about so quickly that as he was practically running down the road, he didn't notice a woman in front of him and he ran straight into her, sending her to the ground.

He gasped at himself and held his hand out. "I am so sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going."

The woman took his hand and he helped her up. She dusted herself off and lifted her head up. This woman, she seemed so familiar to him, as if she knew him.

"How about I make it up to you with a drink tonight at 7 at the dinner?" He said on impulse.

She looked at him for a moment and nodded. "Alright, you're on, if you tell me your name."

He smiled at her. "Victor."

She shook his hand. "I'm Mary Margaret."

Throughout his day at work, he thought little of his date with Mary Margaret. But he couldn't help feeling he knew her and yet he couldn't figure out how that was possible. He shook off that thought and went back to his patients.

After another long (and boring) day at the hospital, he went home and got ready for his date. He arrived at the diner and chose to wait outside for Mary Margaret to show up; she appeared not long after.

Them entering the diner caused the bell to ring above the door and Ruby looked to see who it was. She recognized Mary Margaret as a regular, but the man candy was new.

She wandered over to their table once they had sat down to take their drink order. Victor looked at her and felt a spark. This girl, he knew her. But that was ridiculous, he had never been into the diner before. Ruby was staring at him intently too, both ignoring the presence of Mary Margaret. She ruined the moment by coughing loudly.

"I'll have a gin and tonic please Ruby."

She nodded in response, not once taking her eyes off Victor.

"I'll have the same." He eventually said.

He could tell now that this date with Mary Margaret was going to be a disaster now that he had seen Ruby. It wasn't that Mary Margaret wasn't attractive or anything, but this girl, this Ruby, she seemed so familiar to him.

As predicted, the date went terrible. The whole time, Victor didn't at all listen to a word Mary Margaret was saying, keeping his eyes on Ruby. And when Ruby bent down to clean a table, he could've just taken her right there. Mary Margaret noticed that time and caught his attention. He looked apologetic, but he couldn't help it. This Ruby, he knew that he knew her, but he didn't know where from. Maybe she had been to the hospital? He knew that's not where he knew her, but he couldn't think of any other explanation.

Eventually, he and Mary Margaret did have to leave the diner. Victor and Ruby nodded at each other as Mary Margaret rolled her eyes. Victor apologised to Mary Margaret when they left. She looked him up and down.

"If you didn't want to come on a date, you didn't have to ask." She sounded annoyed and he couldn't blame her.

"It's not that, it's just Ruby..." He trailed off.

Mary Margaret remembered John Doe from the hospital and couldn't help but know what he was feeling. She smiled at him. "Okay, well maybe I'll see you around."

They walked in their separate directions and Victor knew he would be thinking of Ruby all night.

Despite the terrible date, Victor did feel bad for treating Mary Margaret badly, so he sent her some flowers. He bumped into her a few days later at the Rabbit Hole and they had a drink together. Though this time it wasn't a date and the both of them had a much better time together. So good of a time that Victor ended up taking her to his flat. And although both of them were indeed pleasured, unknown to either of them, they both called out the names of their loves instead.


	8. Breaking The Curse

Even though Emma Swan coming to town had changed things, the curse wasn't broken yet. And so things in Storybrooke were very strange for Victor. He went to the diner sometimes just to see Ruby. He couldn't figure out what was so familiar about her, but there was just something there.

He did happen to bump into Mary Margaret more than he would have liked. She was nice enough of course, but after their encounter and knowing of her not-so-secret relationship with David Nolan, things were a little awkward between them.

But with Ruby, it was hard getting a conversation in what with the diner being so busy and her Grandmother watching his every move. He was aware that his adventures with Mary Margaret most likely got around town and consequently he was known as the town womanizer, so he couldn't blame the lady for being protective of her granddaughter.

However, one night, near closing time, Granny had gone to bed early leaving Ruby on her own and with Victor as the only remaining customer. He felt nervous but managed to pluck up the courage to speak to her.

He cleared his throat. "So, you're Ruby, right?"

She looked at him strangely. (And quite rightly so since her name badge was clearly on show) "Yeah." Was all she replied and went back to cleaning the table.

"Do I erm, know you from somewhere?"

"You mean other than here at the diner?" He nodded in response. "No, I don't think so. Now that you mention it though, you do seem oddly familiar."

He felt a thrill inside but tried to play it cool. "How long have you been in this town?"

She sighed. "For as long as I can remember." Funny, it seemed that was everyone else's answer too. It was as if people's pasts were blurred. "I've always longed to go elsewhere."

"So why don't you?"

She snorted. "Yeah right, like Granny would let me."

"Maybe one day."

She smiled and then gave a big yawn. "Sorry to throw you out here, but the diner is actually supposed to be closed and I need my bed."

"Of course, of course. It was nice chatting with you Ruby."

"You too."

And he headed out, smiling to himself.

So it was that for the next few weeks, Victor chose to go to the diner every evening after work just to see Ruby. He knew it was crazy and he didn't understand what it was about her that he just felt such a connection to her. But he couldn't help it and it wasn't like he was going to tell her how he felt. He just wanted to spend time with her and he really didn't see anything wrong with that.

Of course, there was a whole other thing going on in the town with Emma Swan being there. Little to Victor's knowledge, she was the one who needed to break the curse. Many people had tried to convince her but once Regina made that turnover and Henry was the one to eat it, things were about to change.

Victor, of course, had no clue that morning when he went to work that his whole life was going to be turned inside out. He had spent 28 years not remembering Ruby or anything from his Land and the Enchanted Forest.

Emma brought Henry straight to him and he was startled to say the least. This was a child, not one he knew well, but one who at that moment appeared to be comatose. That doesn't just happen to a person. Emma tried to explain about the turnover, but when he examined Henry, there were no neurotoxins found within him. Emma said it must be magic and went into a daze, but he of course wrote that off.

The day went by and Henry showed no sign of waking and was deteriorating. Emma and Regina both had to be called. Regina cried on him and he was surprised at that but let her do so. When Emma kissed Henry though, everything changed.

The magic was clear and ran through the whole town, everyone regaining their memories.

Ruby was walking at the time and she was crying happy tears. "Victor, oh my Victor is here!" She headed towards the hospital to find him.

But for Victor, it was different. He was from a different Land so the flashes of the past came slower for him. All he could see was Gerhardt and his dad. The things he had failed. So he did what he did best and he ran.


	9. A Happy Ending

_ I know this is short for a last chapter, but I figured it wraps it up pretty nicely. I've enjoyed writing this story so much and thank you to all you guys for reading it!_

Ruby headed to the hospital to find Victor. She now understood why he had been so familiar to her. He was her Love. In this world the idea of a True Love seemed crazy to her, especially one she had only known for two weeks. But in the Enchanted Forest that was just an everyday occurrence. With both her normal and cursed memories, getting her head around that was going to take a while. But she knew that she belonged with Victor.

She arrived at the hospital and searched for him. She panicked when she found that he wasn't there. He had left his Doctor coat though and she sniffed so she could follow his scent.

She was surprised to find him sitting at the docks looking into the water.

She walked over cautiously. "Victor?"

He looked up at her startled. "Ruby? What are you doing here?"

"What do you remember?"

"My Land. Everything I did wrong."

A look of hurt crossed her face. "You don't remember me?"

He shook his head. "Only from the diner. I'm sorry."

"Not your fault." She sighed. "We had something special."

She sat down next to him and even though he couldn't remember, he held her hand.

"I always thought you seemed familiar to me. That must be why. I wonder why I don't remember."

She put her hands either side of his face and looked him in the eye. "I guess the curse works differently for those who didn't come from the Enchanted Forest." And as brave as anything, she placed a light kiss on his lips.

He felt a wave go over him like a fog. "Kiss me again."

She happily obliged and kissed him, this time more passionately. And the memories came flooding in.

He remembered her. He saw those two weeks they had spent together flash before him and he finally understood why he had been so drawn to her; the happiest time of his life was with her.

Ruby pulled away and looked at him curiously.

"I remember."

"You do?!"

"Every last second."

"You remember!" She had the biggest smile on her face and she hugged him as hard as she could, causing him to fall backwards onto the pavement. They giggled as she helped him up. Once she did, he picked her up and spun her around and kissed her once again.

"I'm so glad you remember."

"Me too. You're wonderful."

"Do you really believe the whole true love thing?"

"I never thought it would happen to me. I never even thought it was real until I came to the Enchanted Forest. I knew when I saw Snow and Charming that it must be. And what I feel for you isn't just some crush. I want to be with you. If you'll let me."

"Of course! I've missed you. I always felt like there was something missing here in Storybrooke and now I know it was you."

"And now we can start a new life together."

"I'd like that."

He laced his fingers with hers and they walked back to the town.


End file.
